Retro-Look RPi Chess Computer Runs Stockfish

When we talk about retro gaming on the Raspberry Pi and other single-board computers, we generally mean running older video games. This particular device by hacker Slash/Byte, however, hearkens back to something conceived before most conventional video games, 1977’s Chess Challenger 1.

The original game was devised by Fidelity Electronics, and took the form of a chess set with what appeared to be a calculator of some sort built into the corner of the board. This “calculator” allowed for players to input grid positions that they were moving from and to, then output where the black pieces (and only the black) would move in response. The device featured only one level of play, and ran on an 8080AF 2MHz NEC processor.

Slash/Byte’s modern take on this retro gadget is found on GitHub, or in the clips below, taking on first the creator himself, then chess.com. Unlike the original, this version only features the “calculator” portion, leaving mere human competitors to procure a board. It’s brilliantly styled in a metallic finish, with 14-segment character displays, making it appear like something out of the '70s or early '80s. There’s also a Raspberry Pi Zero inside, enabling it to run the modern Stockfish chess engine, and — spoiler — win both of the matches shown.